I really, really enjoyed London – it was sunny and warm for 3 days straight, and the city just seemed so colorful, warm, blooming and full of energy. My recollections from studying there in college in the fall of 2000 seem to be all grey, cold days during which people were constantly hurrying to get inside. This was such a contrast to that memory! Plus, it’s quite different staying at a boutique-like Hilton in the middle of the nice side of town while on the company dime than being a poor college student. We enjoyed great meals, the neighborhood pubs and were treated quite well, as you can imagine!
I couldn’t believe how visually distinctive and charming London has seemed on this trip. It’s like my eyes were closed while I was here in college. Broadcast coverage of the Olympics will have never-ending subjects for city profiles and iconic images with the bright red double-decker buses, the old-fashioned black taxis, the red phone booths, the distinctive pubs, the horse guards and beefeaters, the tube stations, you name it. All of these images just seemed to pop out at you wherever you went.
The purpose of the London leg of my trip was for our 2011 Partner Workshop, where we get all 27 USOC sponsors together in one place to present our USOC plans for the coming years, visit venues and U.S. properties during the Games (such as USA House), set up meetings and get people to start synchronizing some of their Olympic activation plans. It was really successful in this regard.
On one day that I had some meetings just south of the Thames, I had about an hour to kill so I was able to stroll through the Tate Modern and walk across the Millennium Bridge with its great view of the Tower of London and the Tower Bridge. I never had that chance back in 2000, because in the year of its namesake/unveil, the bridge was determined structurally unsound, so it never ended up opening until 2001.
Our hotel was right on Hyde Park and Green Park, so I saw some other sites on my jogs. Of course I ran by Buckingham Palace, where workers were still busy taking down scaffolding and putting away cattle gates from the wedding. I ran by 10 Downing Street, Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey, wondering how many people among the masses had been on the streets to witness the wedding progression just a few days prior.
Overall, there wasn’t a ton of evidence of wedding fervor – some trinkets being sold at the street stalls, but probably the same overkill as major U.S. cities. There were huge British flags up in abundance, though I wasn’t sure if they always are or they were to dress up the city for the wedding.
On my way out of the city, I had my one and only celebrity sighting! Sitting at Heathrow in plain sight, wearing sunglasses and sitting in a general waiting area, was the actress who plays Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter movies. No one seemed to notice her, but it was completely clear that it was her. I would have loved a photo, but I didn’t want to draw attention to her or be “that girl,” so I just went on my way. Maybe they’re just more civilized about celebrity sightings in Britain!
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